Soap or lotion dispenser with auxiliary reservoir

ABSTRACT

A washing system for dispensing a liquid cleanser or lotion includes a housing enclosing a first and second reservoir, a tube system for connecting in fluid communication the first and second reservoirs to a manual valve that is located on or outside of the housing. The first reservoir comprises a collapsible, airtight bag containing liquid cleanser or lotion, and is located above the second reservoir, such that soap or lotion will flow into the second reservoir from the first reservoir due to gravity when the first reservoir bag is installed. The second reservoir provides additional liquid storage for use between replacement of the first reservoir.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

[0001] This invention relates to systems for dispensing soap or lotion. Soap and lotion dispensers add convenience to users of both public and private restrooms by allowing users to operate a manual valve to dispense an appropriate amount of soap or lotion onto the user's hands. The manual valve can be a pump or an on/off type valve.

[0002] Such soap or lotion dispensers include a reservoir for holding an amount of soap or lotion to be dispensed that can be refilled or replaced when the soap or lotion is entirely dispensed. Frequently, soap or lotion is entirely dispensed before the owner of the dispenser has time to refill or replace it so that when the manual valve is operated by a user, no liquid is dispensed. Further, since the soap or lotion is emptied from the pipes or tubes when the reservoir is emptied, the pipes must be reprimed when refilling the liquid. This priming process adds to the time that the soap or lotion cannot be dispensed.

[0003] Also known in the art are liquid dispensing systems that use a “bag in the box” arrangement. In these dispensing systems, soap or lotion fills the inside of an airtight bag, which in turn is placed inside a box. As the liquid is dispensed, the bag collapses within the box. When the bag is emptied, the box may be thrown away and a new box of liquid can be attached. These systems avoid the messiness of refilling the reservoirs, but usually are not replaced until all of the liquid is gone. Otherwise, the extra liquid is wasted. Therefore, if another box of soap or lotion is not immediately installed, an interim time exists when the dispenser will not dispense any liquid. Alternatively, to avoid this inconvenience to the users, janitors replace the boxes before they become empty, resulting in waste.

[0004] Some known dispensing systems attach the manual valve through a pipe or tube to a large reservoir of soap or lotion that is hidden under the sink or in another room. An auxiliary reservoir near the first reservoir can be filled with soap or lotion at the time that the first reservoir is refilled or replaced so that the soap or lotion may be dispensed continuously. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,245, incorporated herein by reference.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for dispensing soap or lotion which will improve upon the current “bag in the box” system and/or earlier systems. In particular, it is an object to provide a new and improved system in which the initial and maintenance costs of the various components will be reduced, placement and storage of the system will require minimal installation or alteration of the facilities, and/or the system will provide continuous dispensing of liquid in the interim period when the reservoir of soap or lotion is being refilled or replaced.

[0006] Other objects, advantages, features and results will more fully appear in the course of the following description.

SUMMARY

[0007] The washing system of the present invention includes a housing, a manual valve in the housing, a first reservoir that is replaceable, a second reservoir, and a connecting line that connects the first and second reservoirs in fluid communication with each other and with the valve. The first and second reservoirs, manual valve, and connecting line are all contained within the housing, or the manual valve can be located outside of the housing. When a new collapsible, airtight bag containing soap or lotion is installed in the housing as the first reservoir, some of the soap or lotion falls down the connecting line due to gravity. The second reservoir is below the first reservoir, and is therefore filled with the lotion or soap falling down the connecting line after the first bag is installed. Therefore, when the collapsible bag in the first reservoir is emptied, soap or lotion may still be dispensed through the valve from the second reservoir. Thus, soap or lotion can still be dispensed during the period when the first reservoir is empty. Further, when the reservoirs, connecting line, and valve are all on or within the housing, installation of the dispenser does not require bringing a tube or pipe through walls or the sink to link the reservoir with the valve or exposing tubes or pipes, nor does it require substantial storage space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a view of the dispenser, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0009]FIG. 2a is a perspective view of the housing, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0010]FIG. 2b is a back perspective view of the housing, reservoirs, and tubing system, according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0011]FIG. 2c is an enlarged view of lower shelf with the hinged portions shown before and after rotation.

[0012]FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the housing, reservoirs, and tubing system.

[0013]FIG. 4a is an enlarged view of the on/off valve in its “off” position before it is installed onto the connector, as used in one embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 4b is an enlarged view of the on/off valve in its “on” position after it is installed onto the connector, as used in one embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 4c is an enlarged view of an alternate embodiment of the on/off valve before it is installed onto the connector.

[0016]FIG. 5 is an enlarged, cut-out view of the tubing system within the housing, as used in one embodiment of the invention.

[0017]FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the manual pump-type valve as used in one embodiment of the invention.

[0018]FIG. 7 is an exploded sectional side view of an alternate embodiment of the dispenser.

[0019]FIG. 8 is a top sectional view of the channel and top nozzle of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0020]FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the back wall, channel, and nozzles, as used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] With reference to FIGS. 1-2 b a dispenser 10 includes a housing 12 having an outer cover 14. The housing 12 is typically made of plastic, but may be made of metal or a combination of other suitable materials. The outer cover 14 includes an outer front wall 18, and first and second outer side walls 20, 22. The outer front wall 18 defines an opening 24 for receiving a valve 8. A hinge 26 is located at the bottom rear portion of the dispenser 10 to permit the cover 14 to rotate open, thereby exposing the inside of the dispenser 10 for replacement of an upper reservoir. The cover can alternatively be hinged on the top of the housing 12 or other suitable locations from which the cover 14 can be rotated to expose the contents of the housing 12.

[0022] The housing 12 shown in FIGS. 2a and b includes first and second upper side walls 100, 102, first and second lower side walls 104, 106 extending down from the upper side walls, a rear wall 108 between the upper side walls, an upper shelf 110, a lower shelf 112 below the upper shelf, a floor 116 connected to the second lower side wall 106, a front wall 114, valve chamber 118 and a valve housing wall 120. The rear wall 108 of the housing 12 has mounting holes 9 for mounting the housing 12 on a wall. The housing 12 can alternatively be mounted by adhesive or other suitable method. The first and second upper side walls 100, 102 extend from the top of the housing 12 down to the upper shelf 110. The first and second lower side walls 104, 106 extend from the floor 116 level to upper shelf 110 and also extend to the back of the housing 12 beyond the rear wall 108. The front wall 114 extends from the floor 116 level of the housing to an area between the lower shelf 112 and upper shelf 110. The valve housing wall 120 protrudes from the front wall and defines a recess for receiving a valve actuator. The valve housing wall 120 also includes an opening for accepting a valve. As shown also in FIG. 5, the substantially cylindrical valve chamber 118 has an output end 124 at the opening of the valve housing wall 120 and an input end 122 near the rear of the housing 12 that is capped with an input tube 126.

[0023] The upper shelf 110 is fixed to the first and second lower side walls 104, 106 and rear wall 108, and is adjacent to the cover 14 when the cover 14 is closed. The upper shelf 110 has a cutout 128 that opens to the front, adjacent to the cover 14, which is lined with a guide rim 130.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2b and c, The lower shelf 112 is fixed along one side to the first lower side wall 104 of the housing 12. The other side of the lower shelf 112 is connected to first and second hinged portions 134, 135 through hinges 154, 156, respectively. An opening 136 is on the lower shelf 112 and extends to the second hinged portion 135. The space between the first and second hinged portions 134, 135 defines a slot 138.

[0025] The second lower side wall 106 of the housing 12 includes a mantle 140 at the same distance from the floor 116 as the lower shelf 112.

[0026] With reference to FIG. 3, the housing 12 encloses a first reservoir 200, e.g., a “bag-in-box”, and a second reservoir 202. The reservoirs 200, 202 comprise collapsible, airtight bags containing soap or lotion, and are located on the upper shelf 110 and the lower shelf 112, respectively. The bag of the first reservoir 200 is surrounded by a box 203, although this is not necessary. The first reservoir 200 includes an on/off valve 204 (shown in more detail in FIGS. 4a and b) with a central, cylindrical shaft 206, first and second circumferential ledges 208, 210 perpendicular to the shaft 206, a cap 212, and flexible arms 214 connecting the cap 212 to the shaft 206. The first circumferential ledge 208 is sealed to the collapsible bag by methods known in the art. The first circumferential ledge 208, cap 212, arms 214, and upper portion of the shaft 206 are located within the first reservoir 200. The lower portion of the shaft 206 and second circumferential ledge 210 protrudes from an opening in the first reservoir 200 and the box 203. The valve 204 is initially in the “off” position, as shown in FIG. 4a, where the cap 212 blocks the opening to the shaft 206.

[0027] A connector 216 includes a base 220 and a pair of fingers 222 extending up from the base 220, each finger having a hooked end portion 224. Extending above and below from the center of the base 220 is a connection tube 226. The tube has an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the tube has a circumferential groove 228 for receiving a seal ring 230. The hooked end portions 224 extend upwards to clasp the second circumferential ledge 210 of the valve 204, discussed in more detail below.

[0028] The first reservoir 200 is secured to the connector 216 by pushing the valve 204 onto the connection tube 226, as shown in FIG. 4b. When the valve 204 is pressed onto the connector 216, the connection tube 226 pushes the cap 212 up and into the open position, thereby allowing relatively free flow of the soap or lotion from the reservoir 200 through the connection tube 226. Further, the second circumferential ledge 210 on the valve 204 is pressed into engagement with the hooked end portions 224 of the fingers 222 on the connector 216 so that the second circumferential ledge 210 is beneath the hooked end portions 224. The valve 204 is therefore held in place relative to the connector 216. The seal ring 230 forms a seal for the junction of the connection tube 226 and the shaft 206. The connector 216 and valve 204 can alternatively be held together without fingers 222 by the friction of the seal ring 230 or by fixing the connector 216 to the housing.

[0029] This process is performed when the connector 216 is in the uninstalled position, i.e., outside of the dispenser, in order to lessen the stress on the upper shelf 110. After the connector 216 and the on/off valve 204 are installed, the connector 216 is slid into place within cutout 128. Alternatively, the on/off valve 204 can be coupled to the connector 216 while the connector 216 is secured to the upper shelf so that it cannot fall through cutout 128. Other types of valves and/or connectors are known for permitting the flow of soap and lotion from the first reservoir and it is not intended that the present invention be limited by the type of valve or connector. For example, other types of fittings, valves, etc., may be used. The first reservoir 200 can alternatively include a fitting 232 that is sealed with an aluminum sealing cover 234 instead of arms 214 and cap 212, as shown in FIG. 4c. When the connector 216 is pushed onto the fitting 232, the aluminum sealing cover 234 is punctured, allowing flow of soap or liquid through the connection tube 226.

[0030] Referring again to FIG. 3, the second reservoir 202 has a flexible plastic outlet nozzle 300 with a collar 310 extending below the lower shelf 112 and pointing in the direction of a “T” fitting 312, which projects upwards through slot 138. After the “T” fitting 312 is installed in housing 12, the hinged portions 134, 135 are held horizontal between hinges 154, 156 and the mantel 140. Thus, hinged portions 134, 135 are bent up to form a continuation of the lower shelf 112. The outlet nozzle 300 is fixed to an outlet of the second reservoir 202 and can be made with any material that can form a tight seal with the “T” fitting 312. A lip 314 of a “T” fitting 312 (discussed in more detail with reference to FIG. 5) engages the collar 310 of the outlet nozzle 300 of the second reservoir 202 to form a sealed connection. A tube may also be used to connect the outlet nozzle to the “T” fitting. The outlet of the “T” fitting 312 connects through tubing system 330, 326, 332 to the input tube 126 leading to the pump-type manual valve 8. Other types of fittings or nozzles are known for forming a sealed connection and it is not intended that the present invention be limited by the type of fitting or nozzle.

[0031]FIGS. 2b and 5 depict the “T” fitting 312 in more detail. The middle tube 316 of the “T” fitting 312 has a lip 314 that engages the collar 310 of the outlet nozzle 300 of the second reservoir 202 (FIG. 3). One tube 318 can intake soap or lotion from the first reservoir 200, and the last tube 320 can output the soap or lotion from both the first and second reservoirs 200, 202 to the pump-type manual valve 8 (FIG. 6). Although a “T” fitting is discussed herein, one skilled in the art will understand that any fitting capable of connecting two sources to each other and to a third location can be substituted with similar effect.

[0032] The first and second reservoirs 200, 202 and pump-type valve 8 are coupled together by a tubing system 324, 326, 328, 330, 332 to allow fluid communication between the reservoirs 200, 202 and the valve 8.

[0033] The connector 216 couples the first reservoir 200 to a flexible plastic tube 324 by a cable tie 322. The tube 324 extends from the connector 216, through the opening 128 in the upper shelf 110 (see FIG. 2a) and the first opening 136 in the lower shelf 112 to an elbow 328. The elbow 328 has barbed edges (not shown) that grip the inside of the flexible plastic tube 324, and the connection is sealed on the outside of the tube 324 by a clamp or cable tie (not shown), as is known in the art. The elbow 328 is connected to the “T” fitting 312, e.g., by a flexible tube. The length of the tube 324 is long enough to reach the connector 216 when it is uninstalled from cutout 128 in order to attach it to a new first reservoir 200 outside of the housing. The “T” fitting 312 is located beneath the second reservoir 202.

[0034] The tube 320 of the “T” fitting 312 is coupled to a second elbow 330, e.g., by a flexible tube. Elbow 330 is coupled to a flexible tube 326, which connects to a third elbow 332. Elbow 332 is connected to a fitting 158 which is threaded into the input tube 126 of the pump-type valve 8. The elbows 328, 330, 332 and “T” fitting 312 have barbed end portions and can be connected to each other by enclosing the junction of the barbed end portions in a flexible, plastic sleeve (not shown). A clamp or cable tie can then be placed around the edges of the plastic sleeve to seal the connection, if needed. The elbows 328, 330, 332 and “T” fitting 312 can also be connected without barbed end portions by threading or other suitable means. The tubing configurations described are examples only, and it is recognized that many variations for connecting the reservoirs to each other and the valve through tubing would be known to those skilled in the art.

[0035] Therefore, when a first reservoir 200 is installed to the connector 216, soap or lotion drains from the first reservoir 200, through the on/off valve 204, tube 324, elbow 328, and into the “T” fitting 312. From the “T” fitting 312, the soap or lotion re-fills the second reservoir 202 and the tubing system 330, 326, 332 that leads to the pump-type valve 8. Thus, when the first reservoir 200 is empty, a continuous flow of soap or lotion from the second reservoir 202 is still possible before the first reservoir 200 is re-filled.

[0036] The pump-type manual valve 8 shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the replaceable valve disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,762, incorporated herein by reference. The pump-type manual valve 8 has an inlet 50 and an outlet 52 and comprises an outer sleeve 54, an inner sleeve 56, and a plunger 58. The outer sleeve 54 is hollow, slides into chamber 118 and is secured by a set screw 60 that projects through housing 12 into chamber 118 and within a seat 62 on the outer sleeve 54.

[0037] The plunger 58 is also hollow and slidable within the outer sleeve 54. The plunger 58 can be held inside the outer sleeve 54 by a guide pin 64 carried by the outer sleeve 54 projecting into a groove 66 of the plunger 58 and a groove 68 of chamber 118. A one-way valve 70 is located at the inlet end of the plunger 58 to allow soap or lotion to move from the inlet end to the outlet end.

[0038] The inner sleeve 56 is carried inside the outer sleeve 54 and is located near the inlet end of the pump-type valve 8. The inner sleeve 56 is urged away from the plunger 58 by a spring 72 between them. A second one-way valve 74 is located at the inlet end of the inner sleeve 56.

[0039] When the plunger 58 is manually pressed in the direction of the rear wall 108, the space between the plunger 58 and the inner sleeve 56 is compressed and the soap or lotion residing in that space is forced out of the first one-way valve 70 and out through the outlet 52. When the plunger 58 is released, the space between the inner sleeve 56 and the plunger 58 is increased, and the vacuum formed opens the second one-way valve 74 to allow soap or lotion from the outer sleeve 54 into the inner sleeve 56.

[0040] Other manual valves can be substituted for pump-type valve 8 with similar effect. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,877, incorporated herein by reference, discloses a fluid dispenser valve with a relocated outer seal to seal against a cylindrical cavity, and this valve can also be used in accordance with the instant invention. Other appropriate manual valves that can be used in accordance with the instant invention will be evident to those skilled in the art.

[0041] The reservoirs and manual valve can alternatively be connected via a rigid channel. In FIGS. 7-9, the cover 18, floor 116, valve chamber 118, and side walls (not shown) are similar to those discussed in reference to the previous figures. However, an on/off valve 400, similar to that described is reference to FIG. 4c, is fixed to the bottom rear of the first reservoir 410 and directed toward the back wall 412. The bottom rear of the second reservoir 414 is also fixed to an on/off valve 416 similar to that described in reference to FIG. 4c, and the on/off valve 416 is directed toward the back wall 412. The valve chamber inlet 126 is threaded to a coupling 418 that has threads on one end and barbs on the other end.

[0042] A back wall 412 is fastened to the side walls (not shown) and includes three nozzles 420, 422, 424 in locations facing and corresponding to the two on/off valves 400, 416 and the inlet of the pump chamber 126. The nozzles 420, 422, 424 surround openings 426 in the back wall 412. The nozzles 420, 422, 424 each include a cylindrical inner channel 428, 430, 432, an outer cylindrical surface 434, 436, 438, and a pointed end portion 440, 442, 444. On the top 420 and middle 422 nozzles, the outer cylindrical surface 434, 436 includes openings 446 that lead to the cylindrical inner channel 428, 430. An O-ring 448 fits around the outer cylindrical surface 434, 436 to the rear of the openings 446. The bottom nozzle 424 includes a barbed end portion 444.

[0043] When the back wall 412 is fixed to the side walls (not shown), the top and middle nozzles 420, 422 insert inside the on/off valves 400, 416 coming from the first and second reservoirs 410, 414, and the connections are held together by the friction of the O-rings 448. The junction of the bottom nozzle 424 and the coupling 418 is surrounded by a flexible sleeve 450 and the sleeve 450 is sealed by two cable ties 452, 454 surrounding the sleeve 450 at each of the sleeve's 450 ends. The sleeve 450 can alternatively be sealed with a clamp at each end, if needed.

[0044] A channel 456 is fastened, e.g., by welding, at its edges to the rear of the back wall 412. A seal 458 lines the edges of the channel 456. A outwardly-curved center portion 460 extends linearly down the center of the channel 456 and, when the channel 456 is fixed to the back wall 412, defines a channel linking the three openings 426 in the back wall 412. Above the top edge of the channel 456, the back wall 412 includes protrusions 462 extending horizontally to the rear of the back wall 412 to stabilize the dispenser when it is mounted on a wall.

[0045] Although FIGS. 7 and 9 describe a valve chamber inside the housing and a bottom nozzle directed toward the front of the dispenser, the bottom nozzle can be directed downward or otherwise away from the housing and the flexible sleeve can extend outside of the housing to an external pump. It should also be noted that the arrangements of tubes and fittings described in earlier embodiments may also be used in connection with external pumps, i.e., pumps not located inside of the reservoir housing.

[0046] Although the foregoing describes the invention in terms of embodiments, this is not intended to limit the invention. Rather, the foregoing is intended to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A soap or lotion dispenser, comprising: a housing; a manual valve located on the housing; a first reservoir comprising one of soap and lotion enclosed within an airtight collapsible bag and located within the housing; a second reservoir comprising the one of soap and lotion enclosed within an airtight collapsible bag and located within the housing, wherein the first reservoir is located above the second reservoir; and a connecting line within the housing, wherein the connecting line couples, in fluid communication, the first and second reservoirs to each other and to the valve.
 2. The soap or lotion dispenser of claim 1, wherein the connecting line includes a “T” fitting.
 3. The soap or lotion dispenser of claim 1, further comprising: an on/off valve coupled to the first reservoir and having an opening with a seal; and a connector with a connection tube on the housing, wherein when the on/off valve is pushed against the connector, the connection tube opens the seal.
 4. The soap of lotion dispenser of claim 1, wherein the manual valve comprises a pump.
 5. The soap or lotion dispenser of claim 1, wherein the connecting line includes a channel.
 6. A soap or lotion dispenser, comprising: a housing; a manual valve located outside the housing; a first reservoir comprising one of soap and lotion enclosed within an airtight collapsible bag and located within the housing; a second reservoir comprising the one of soap and lotion enclosed within an airtight collapsible bag and located within the housing, wherein the first reservoir is located above the second reservoir; and a channel on or in the housing, wherein the channel couples, in fluid communication, the first and second reservoirs to each other and to the valve. 